Biko’s dream was to turn black and white into pillars of strength

MANY South Africans will be remembering Steve Biko but few would know that his death in 1977 was one of South Africa’s greatest tragedies. This is my story. I was a detective in the South African police and in 1968 I was transferred over to the security police, with one of my tasks being to investigate and report on the activities of the BCM (Black Consciousness Movement) formed by Steve Biko.

After receiving documents, speeches and listening to reports from informers, I submitted a report to security headquarters.

This report revealed that the BCM was not interested in white people and was entirely a black organisation and appeared to be in favour of black separation, commonly known as apartheid.

I resigned from the police force in 1970. For many years I was very friendly with Donald Woods, who was totally opposed to the apartheid system and was a great friend of Biko.

One day, Woods phoned me and said that Biko’s offices in Leopold Street, King William’s Town had been broken into and was in a shambles. Donald said he was about to leave for King William’s Town and asked whether I wanted to go with. I accepted the offer. On arrival at Biko’s office, we met Steve in the yard and Donald introduced Steve to me as a friend. Steve’s reply was “a friend of Donald Woods is a friend of mine” and this broke the ice because I was not sure how Steve was going to receive me.

The three of us spent the morning together fearing for the worst because Steve was banned and could only be in the company of one other person. Steve invited us to the Zanempilo Clinic for lunch, which was being prepared by Dr Mamphela Ramphele.

After lunch, I put a question to Steve because by that time I realised that I had been accepted as a friend. I asked him what this apartheid in reverse system, known as BCM, was all about and this was his reply: “You are wrong because it has nothing to do with apartheid and in order to explain the whole business to you, I will be using pillars”.

He said that the black man’s pillar, despite being the majority in this country, is only this high and he indicated with an open hand a short distance from the floor.

He went on to say that the minority group, the white pillar, was this high and again with an open hand indicated the height of the top of the table.

He went on to explain that his people wanted equal rights but with the situation that existed (he pointed to the difference in heights of the two pillars), it would be a hopeless call.

He also said he understood the white man’s position and it was for this reason that he had formed the BCM – with the sole object of educating and developing the black man so his pillar could grow and when the pillars were equal in length, the two groups could look each other in the eye and then settle the dispute.

He added that he was not in favour of violence although he believed that it might assist their cause.

With what is taking place in South Africa these days, thoughts often come to mind as to how this situation would have been handled had the tragic death of Steve Biko not occurred. — Donald Card, via e-mail movement in the ANC, described by the leadership as a mutiny”.

Interesting! How many of that leadership and their cohorts have been the reason for the dysfunctioning of our nation? Certainly not the ones the mature Mandela would have approved of or who have the approval of those who continue to put their shoulders to the wheel to make a difference for the greater good.

A new racism of another order is now railroading curtailment of endeavours for true non-racial freedom to grow a godly and freeenterprise economy.

Soporific political talk is the sedative that continues to lull the complacent.

It has long been apparent to me that the Trojan horse ploy was used to gain control of the ANC and the country by those who are anything but adherents of democracy – except where it serves to give space for local manipulation to their advantage and the clever continued use internationally of vociferous pressure groups of “fair-minded” people who are largely fed partial truths.

I rather liked a term and its explanation recently printed with regard to such groups in the responses section of another publication: “Snowflakes”.

As a nation “going forward”, such support melts at its own convenience. We need the support and governance of those founded on “the rock of mercy, truth and righteousness in spirit”. Not the political spin doctor variables we are expected to believe are good for us. All such have feet of clay. — Denise Y Fielding, via e-mail